Shannon FitzGerald, seen her with her husband, Ed, when he announced his candidacy for governor, intends to join in local charitable runs and races around the state to help Ohioans become more acquainted with her husband.Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Shannon FitzGerald says that she will start running -- literally -- to help her husband, Democrat Ed FitzGerald, with his run for governor.

In an email message from the campaign Wednesday, Shannon FitzGerald announced she will run in events around the state to help local charities and causes, as well as to tell people more about her husband.

"Because I am passionate about health and wellness issues, I am going to participate in running races all across Ohio, supporting and raising awareness for your local charities and causes," she said in the email. “As a family we have run in many races supporting charities, non-profits, and community causes. Now, I can literally meet you on the road.”

Up to now, Shannon FitzGerald hasn’t had a starring role in her husband’s campaign. But he did highlight her career during the Ohio Democratic Party’s Legacy Dinner last month as an embodiment of the working-class Ohioans he has said he will protect.

Shannon FitzGerald works two jobs – full-time as a dietitian for the Avon Lake school district and on the weekends at a local hospital. Her husband has a full-time job as Cuyahoga County executive, with an annual salary of $175,000. The couple, married 22 years, has four children.

That’s part of what she plans to talk about as she takes on a more active role in the campaign, she said in the email.

Campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said Shannon FitzGerald proposed the idea. She frequently participates in charitable races and runs with her daughters and with friends and has an interest in fitness, Hitt said.

Polling indicates FitzGerald will have to heighten his name recognition around the state, although his campaign says their comfortable with where he is at this point in the race. A survey by Quinnipiac University released in February found that seven in 10 Ohioans didn't yet know enough about FitzGerald to decide if they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion about him.

The running events will provide a chance to talk about her husband and his character, as well as their family of six, Shannon FItzGerald said in the email.

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